Ah... come on... no Ebook Wizardry for Dummies? I need it!

Yes, from what I understand in your questions... the stylesheet coding for italics, bold, etc. are working correctly. They work in the book view on Sigil and in the eReader (Nook Simple with Glow Light). For some reason it is only the Normal type that remains some unknown font and that I can't get rid of.
I will gladly add in the portions... But I am unsure of the best way to do it...
I am attaching a word doc that has the CSS coding and a chapter of the book works right on the italics - making the switch to the new font. Will that work? If that isn't the best way to go, let me know and I can just paste it in here.
Now, having said that... I hope I did it right. Thanks to anyone who helps me track this mystery down - it has become such a challenge I just WANT to solve it!